Shouha
by Kaeru Soyokaze
Summary: Hiei. Mukuro's right hand man. Wielder of the Jagan and the Kokuryuha. Kills people everyday. Just found a ferrygirl locked in a closet. Chapter three UP!
1. Life After Death

Muahahaha. You thought I'd never return to the world of Yu Yu Hakusho fandom, DIDN'T you? YOU WERE WRONG. -coughs- Sorry. I know it's been ages, but I don't like to post something until I have a clear idea of what I'm getting into. So then: 

First off, there will be mentions of characters that you'll have to read about in Densetsu no Kagami and Hanyou Lothuial's Kokitsune to understand. There will be death. There will be no, and I repeat NO romance between Hiei and our little heroine of sorts. There will be no Keiko bashing or Shounen Ai, unless Sensui and Itsuki randomly show up. Thank you.

Lastly, if anyone got a ferrygirl in Yarikake, now's the time to use her. In your review, remind me which one you got and she'll show up in this fic.

And without further ado, let's begin. We all know who I don't own and I DO own a good amount of ferrygirls in this. Be good.

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Kinsenka was dead. It was as simple as that. And yet, she was having the hardest time accepting this little bit of news. But for the sake of anyone who might have accidentally walked in with no idea what was going on whatsoever, we will very nicely backtrack for them.

It was Kinsenka's twelfth birthday, and she was very excited. She had gotten a little black kitten that had immediately attempted to bite off her finger when she'd extended a hand to pet him. She was already smitten with the little beast. And, even better, her parents were going to take her to her favorite restaurant so she could stuff herself with gleeful abandon like your typical red-headed sea green-eyed teenager. Ah, yes, birthdays were wonderful things.

However, as she and her parents piled into the car and took off, none of them suspected that lives would be stolen that blissful night. Kinsenka hadn't seen much of it--just a flash of black, narrowed crimson eyes, a gleaming blade, and three somethings bounding across the freeway like rabid bunnies. And then…everything exploded in a burst of fire and agonizing darkness took over the girl's body. She remembered screaming and reaching out to someone--who, she didn't know, but her last conscious thought was that someone had taken her hand and was ascending with her into the starry night…

**---In a Different Place---**

"Koenma-sama, with all due respect, I think this is a very bad idea! She's so…young! Do you really think she can handle all that you're about to thrust upon her small shoulders?"

"Very poetic, Jorge, but complain again and I'll have to take out my pacifier."

There was a thud, as if something very heavy had just dropped to the ground. "Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai, I'll be good!"

"That's more like it. Now, she'll probably take it better if I'm in my older form…"

Kinsenka let out a low groan, reaching out a shaking hand for those voices. They instantly fell silent and she laboriously opened her eyes. She was lying in a bed, covered by two white sheets and staring straight up at a ceiling that was, if possible, even whiter. In fact, the entire room, once she had managed to sit up and take a look around, was a blinding shade of ivory. She glanced down at herself and saw that her regular clothing had been replaced by a yukata of…you guessed it…white.

"Have I died and gone to a very whitewashed Heaven?" She muttered, as she rubbed at her eyes and blinked rapidly.

"You're half-right. This isn't Heaven, but you've definitely died. I thought you'd NEVER wake up!"

Kinsenka lowered her hand from her face and stared up at a brown-haired teenaged boy who (oddly enough) had his lips around a blue pacifier and the words "JR" embossed across his forehead. He wore a blue tunic, a white shirt, brown pants, and a red cape. And he was smiling.

"Welcome to Reikai, Kinsenka."

She'd never seen this strange boy before in her life, yet he knew her name. And what, exactly, was Reikai? She wasn't in Heaven, he'd told her that much…but…she focused on the one part that made the least sense.

"I'm…I'm dead?"

"As a doornail!" The boy said cheerfully. Thankfully, he sat down at her bedside so she didn't have to sprain her neck trying to look into his face. "My name is Koenma, junior ruler of Reikai…the place people go where they die…well…" He made a face. "Actually, it's the place where spirits go before they move on to Purgatory or Heaven or…you know…the not-so-nice place."

Kinsenka was silent for a few moments, taking in all of this new information. Then...

"I'm DEAD?!"

Koenma sighed, raking his fingers through his short hair. "Didn't we just go over that? Yes. You are dead. Mezurashii Kinsenka, aged twelve, deceased as of April fifteenth, seven thirty two P.M., cause of death car accident. NOW will you stop staring at me like that?"

The girl burst into tears.

"I told you," the blue-skinned oni beside Koenma said helpfully.

"_Aaaaargh_!" The boy clutched at his temples, eyes rolling upward. "None of the other ferrygirls were this hard!"

The oni shook his head. "That's not true. Hinageshi cried for a week, Katakuri convinced herself that you were a figment of her imagination, and Nobara bloodied your nose."

"…"

"Tsubaki thought it was all some sort of joke, Chuurippu refused to speak to you, Byakushin tried to run away…"

Koenma visibly twitched. "I swear, you remember all of that as if you INTEND to use it on me at your convenience. Go get Botan…she's better at this than I am."

"Why, Koenma-sama…was that a compliment??"

"JUST GO, IDIOT!"

The oni went, although he smiled reassuringly in Kinsenka's general direction.

There was a pregnant pause as the twelve-year-old sobbed into her hands and the young Reikai prince fumbled for words. No words could express his relief when a girl in a pink kimono rushed in, her blue hair pulled up into a high ponytail. Hesitating for a look at the situation, she knew where she was needed and leapt onto the bed, pulling Kinsenka into a warm hug.

"Ssh, it's okay," she whispered, stroking the girl's reddish-gold hair comfortingly. "Nothing bad is going to happen to you, I promise. You have a new family now, Kinsenka-chan! You're a ferrygirl!"

"I'm…I'm a what?" came the muffled response.

"A ferrygirl." Koenma had deemed it safe to speak again. "A messenger of Reikai who delivers souls from Ningenkai to here and also carries messages back and forth to our Reikai Tantei down there. Occasionally, they serve as advisors to those detectives, like Botan here."

"Normally, you would have known this all already," the older girl told Kinsenka, smiling slightly. "But Reikai was just restored after a bad flood and those who died during that time were in limbo for a few days. You've actually been unconscious for a week."

Kinsenka frowned as new questions entered her mind. "Why did you choose me to become a…a ferrygirl? And what about my parents? Are they dead too? What am I supposed to do now?"

Koenma glanced at her warily, sensing that she was on the verge of crying again. He'd have to tread carefully here. "When a person dies, their spirit is visible. You had a great deal of reiki…spiritual power…than we'd previously thought and since you're too young and your body too mangled to became a Reikai Tantei, it's only logical that we make you into a ferrygirl. As for your parents…your father survived and is in the hospital in stable condition as we speak. Both you and your mother were killed, but she has already gone on. And lastly, pertaining to the duties of a ferrygirl…your instructor will explain that to you shortly. A few others have perished recently as well, so you won't be the newest arrival."

"…I don't really have any choice in this, do I? I'm dead and now I'm going to be a messenger, right?"

"That's right. Get used to it and get some rest. Nobara will start lessons tomorrow. Who knows," he added, as he rose and turned to leave, along with his blue assistant. "You may even get a chance to guide a Reikai Tantei once you get some more experience." Even though he muttered it under his breath as he exited the room, Kinsenka still heard an audible "Let's just hope you don't end up with Yusuke. I wouldn't wish that boy on _anyone_."

The instant he had left, the redhead turned questioning eyes to Botan. "Yusuke?"

"He's the most recent detective," came the ferrygirl's reply. "He works with a Youko, a fire youkai, and a ningen. I help him out and give him information on new cases. He's really not all that bad. HIEI'S the one you want to watch for." She shuddered delicately. "He's scary."

Kinsenka made a mental note to stay far, far away from anyone named Hiei. ((A/N: Famous Last Words…first for this story! Hooray!))

Botan giggled to herself as she resettled the smaller girl back under the covers. "It'll be fun, you'll see. Good night!"

She flounced out and Kinsenka rolled onto her side, staring off into the sudden darkness once Botan had turned off the lights and shut the door behind her.

"A ferrygirl, huh?" She murmured. "Even dying can't be easy…"

**-OOC-**

Ah, first chapter. Yes, I know it's short, but bear with me, I'm rusty. This first chapter takes place during the second Yu Yu Hakusho movie. Remember when Hiei is fighting the two youkai thingies and they land on the freeway and cars blow up? See the green one? That's Kinsenka. XD So basically, she wakes up a few days after Yusuke and co. save the day and Botan is revived and Reikai is restored, etc, etc. It'll fastforward to after the series after Chapter Two.

A special thanks to Lexi-chan for inspiring me to get this started after she updated TWICE. She's an awesome muse! Thanks so much, Lexi!

You lot will get to see Hiei, Kurama, Yusuke, and everyone in chapter 3. And I'll repeat this one more time: There is absolutely NO romance between Kin-chan and Kurama or Hiei. Or Yusuke. Or anyone else you can think of. She's only TWELVE.

Please review!


	2. Mischief Maker

Well, I figure…when you finish a chapter of one story, the best thing to do is at least get STARTED on the chapter of another before your creativity decides to elope with your brain and leave you all alone. So there you go. 

Anyway, thanks to everyone who gave reviews! I love you all! And to reward you for reviewing, I hereby present you with…another chapter of ferrygirl-induced mayhem! Because we all loves us some Kinsenka!

Or something. Last chapter, Kinsenka died and was very nicely informed that she was dead and now she was gonna fly dead people around on a stick. So let's see how she handles…TRAINING. Yes. Training. Safuran is owned by Chloe, Ran is owned by Shin-san, Fuji is owned by Mizu-chan and Kinpouge is owned by Rein.

* * *

Two days after her death (she still flinched whenever she thought about it), Kinsenka sat cross-legged on the floor with about four other ferrygirls. Most of their costumes consisted of kimonos, although Kinsenka wore the outfit of a shrine maidena white blouse and red hakama.

A young woman with hair a darker crimson than Kinsenka's stood squarely in front of them, arms folded over her chest. Narrowed amethyst eyes roved over the cowering girls before her hand suddenly shot forward. In a flash of yellow light, an oar was pointed directly at the nose of a raven-haired girl in a green kimono.

"You!" She barked. "State your name and summon your oar!"

With a squeak, the girl shot to her feet, although she was wobbling badly. "F-Fuji, Nobara-sensei," she stammered, but before she could get any further than that, the oar whapped her on the head.

"**WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT CALLING ME SENSEI!"** The woman thundered, rising up to her full height of five feet and nine inches.

"I-I don't remember!" Fuji whimpered, fully panicking by now.

"You said to address you with the suffix of 'sama'," another ferrygirl, this one with curly golden hair volunteered helpfully. She wore a black kimono over a lighter yellow one and was currently engrossed in skillfully braiding her long tresses.

"And you said that you'd beat us into the ground if we didn't," said yet another girl. She had light purple hair worn in a long braid and two kimonos: the upper being a pale yellow and the lower a darker purple.

Nobara nodded to both of them, before turning her scowling attention back on the terrified Fuji. "Safuran and Ran are quite correct. 'Sama' is reserved for important people held in high esteem. While I am your instructor, I am your most important person and expect to be treated as such. _AM I UNDERSTOOD_?"

"Hai", "Whatever", "Uh-huh", "Of course!", and a squeak answered her.

"**_AM I UNDERSTOOD_**!" Nobara roared and they quailed under her fury.

"Hai, Nobara-sama!" The students chorused obediently.

The woman allowed herself a faint grin before it was instantly replaced by a grim tightening of the mouth. "Fuji! Produce that oar! Stop hesitating!"

The poor ferrygirl was trembling like a leaf, and Kinsenka was slowly developing a deep pit of utter despair in the depths of her stomach. "H-hai…Nobara…sama!" With a grimace, there was a glimmer of yellow light and a shining oar popped into her hand. She immediately tightened her grip around the wood and smiled, relaxing her tense posture slightly.

"…Good, although student delayed on proper summoning technique…" The redhead's voice trailed off into a low muttering as she scribbled on a clipboard. "Next!"

A tall girl in a red kimono brushed a strand of short blonde hair away from her face and stood up, bowing gracefully. "Kinpouge." The oar appeared within two seconds of her stating her name.

"Excellent."

Safuran and Ran took their turns and each managed to summon their oars successfully on their first tries. Then…

"Next!"

That single word invoked such dread and terror in Kinsenka's very soul that the twelve-year-old was temporarily frozen to her spot.

"Do you intend to keep me waiting?" Nobara's crimson eyebrows snapped together and Kinsenka flinched. Ran, seated comfortably beside her, patted her sympathetically on the shoulder and the girl rose unsteadily, walking out to face the others.

"My name's Kinsenka." Good, halfway there… With that simple introduction, she glared at her hand and concentrated. She'd been practicing every day, with fruitless results, but if she failed now…

There! Had that been a golden spark she'd glimpsed? More than a spark now…the light had brightened and the oar was taking shape. Incredibly relieved, Kinsenka reached out to grasp it and show her brand new oar to her classmates and…

…found herself holding onto a _broom._ A very SHINY broom, but a _broom_ nonetheless.

Despite the fact that no personage under the age of fifteen (or fourteen, in Yusuke's case) should know any curse words, Kinsenka had quite the arsenal at her disposal and proceeded to (mentally) call the broom every single bad wordthat existedthe dictionary (and even those that didn't).

"Kinsenka." Nobara's voice was extremely flat. No anger, no amusement, just blankness.

Oh damn. She was in trouble now. "Hai…?"

"Explain the assignment to me."

The redhead swallowed hard. "Summon an oar."

"And what is that thing you're holding?"

_You've already died once,_ she tried to reassure herself. _Dying a second time won't be so bad!_ "Umm…a…broom?"

"Are brooms oars?"

"N-no…"

"Do you see any ferrygirls in Reikai flying brooms?"

"No…"

Nobara suddenly chuckled, and five pairs of eyes lit up with astonishment. "You'll be our first, then."

Along with the astonished eyes, five sets of jaws simultaneously dropped.

"B-but I…I didn't form an oar!" Kinsenka sputtered, wondering if there was something crucial that she had missed entirely.

"No, but the broom should prove sufficient enough for travel. The traveling apparatus summoned always depends on the ferrygirl. They've always been taught to make an oar. However, it could just as easily be a mop or a vacuum cleaner…or, in your case, a broom."

"…" said Kinsenka.

"This demonstrates that you think outside the box. But I don't want any 'witch' jibes, _got it_?" Nobara was suddenly stern again and the girl instantly nodded. "That goes for all of you! If I hear any of you making fun of that broom, you'll be facing King Enma!"

"Hai, Nobara-sama," they murmured.

Kinsenka stared down at her broom. Great. Barely a few days of being dead and she'd already created a stir.

She only hoped nothing else would happen to mark her from the others.

* * *

_**Three Years Later**_

****

"H-hey! Fly straight, you idiotic reincarnated stick!" Kinsenka jerked sharply on the broom handle and the broom respondedby bucking and throwing her off.

Safuran leaned off her oar and caught the girl's hand, hauling her onto the oar. "I never thought a broom could have so much personality…"

"It's not personality," Kinsenka grumbled. "It's evilness. That damned broom is DEMONIC! It hates me! It's always fighting me and trying to fly off on its own and it ALWAYS gets into trouble!"

The other girl's dancing brown eyes crinkled as she smiled. "Sounds like someone I know."

"Don't even think about comparing me to that…that…that dead wood!" The redhead scowled, but remembered to thank her friend as Safuran set her down. She retrieved her errant broom and stomped into the main building, greeting the white-haired ferrygirl at the front desk with a cheerful wave and tripping over a glossy black cat, who had been taking a nap smack-dab in the middle of the floor.

"Itai! Shinkou, what are you doing, napping there?"

The cat opened a weary golden eye and regarded her as if she was a blathering idiot. _You already know what I was doing, so why ask?_

"Do you always have to act so cocky?"

_Yes. Do YOU always have to be so klutzy and temperamental?_

Kinsenka sighed. Shinkou had been a present from another ferrygirl friend. Hinagiku, who ran the Spirit Egg Hatchery, had handed a glowing golden egg to the redhead a year ago, with no explanation whatsoever. On her fourteenth birthday, the egg had hatched, spilling out a squalling black lump of fur into her hands. Unlike most Spirit Beasts, he was very vocal and sarcastic, but he had his endearing moments and he was a very loyal companion...when he wasn't griping about his friend's stupidity.

_And why do you still look like you're twelve?_ The feline asked, sounding rather exasperated. _You're fifteen! You COULD change your appearance!_

The girl made a face. "I COULD, but I don't feel like it. When I do, I will."

"Oh, Kinsenka?" The receptionist-like ferrygirl glanced up, interrupting their conversation. "Koenma-sama wanted to see you. He says it's very urgent." A pause. Then… "Nobara-san is with him."

Her TEACHER was with her BOSS? She hadn't done anything bad! Well…except for starting that food fight during break yesterday…but Chuurippu had continued it, so she wasn't to blame! Chuurippu…Safuran…Ran, Fuji, Nobara, Botan…Kinsenka…why had they all been named after flowers, anyway? Suppose she'd been named Mari or something…would she have ended up a ferrygirl? Was being named after a thing with petals that caused allergies a prerequisite to becoming a ferrygirl?

Mokuren, the receptionist, coughed into her hand, and Kinsenka lost track of her thoughts. "…Oh! I'll go in there right away, then!" She bowed, then scooped up Shinkou and pushed open the doors that led to Koenma's office.

Nobara and the child ruler both looked up as she entered and their expressions became sober.

"Kinsenka…" Koenma began, placing his folded hands on his desk and leaning forward. "This may be extremely hard for you…"

Uh-oh.

* * *

OOC

Eheheh…after FOREVER, I update! -triumphant pose- Thanks to everyone who waited this long! I'm such a bad person, I swear. I don't deserve you all. -sigh- Anyway. Just what does Koenma have to say to his newest ferrygirl? Hiei alert in next chapter! Speaking of which…NEXT chapter!

Hiei experiences some trouble with an opponent and is poisoned! And…yeah. He sorta…dies. O.O

Kinsenka learns of her first assignment: Hiei wasn't supposed to die. So now she must become his assistant and aid him in coming back to life! But why HER? And how can she help Hiei when she doesn't even know what he looks like, her cat insists on coming along, and her broom won't fly straight?

A bit of angst as Kinsenka takes a quick detour to see how her father's been doing ever since her and her mother's death.

That's it, everyone! I'll see you in Chapter 3!


	3. Kinsenka's Assignment

XD I need to be shot for shameless neglecting of this story. I'm so sorry, everyone! I love you all and I'm updating RIGHT NOW. Really. I have a ton of stuff to update, actually…but I DO need to update the Pretear one next before Chelsie eats my soul. But we're not here to talk about Pretear! We're here--err…I'M here to write this chapter! 

Brief run-through…Kinsenka settled into her role as a ferrygirl and seems to have accepted it. Three years have passed and she's just been called for her first assignment. I wonder what it is? And yes, Hiei dies in this chapter. Feel free to try and eat my soul. Others have tried.

I do not own Hiei, Kuwabara, Koenma, Botan, etc. I only own Kinsenka, her cat, and her family. Thanks. And a special thank you to Bara-chan and Shin-san for renewing my inspiration. This chapter's for you guys!

* * *

This was annoying, infuriating, and just plain frustrating. Hiei had better things to do than lock blades with something that looked like one of those monsters from the horror movies that Yusuke was so fond of…complete with oozing green goo, glowing red eyes, and the constant urge to adamantly state its background and cocky intentions.

"I am SplorshGlurgleHee! You killed my father! Prepare to die, you of the hair like an evergreen!"

And another thing! _Why_ was he letting this rotting pile of green gunk talk that way to him? He was a high-ranking general in Mukuro's army, he wielded the Jagan and the Kokuryuha and he could lop this thing's head off in less than a minute.

Well, for one, it had BITTEN him on the arm, and apparently its saliva was poisonous, for Hiei was feeling light-headed and not at all like himself. It was all he could do to keep focused on the battle at hand. The black dragon tattoo kept pulsing, urging him to hurry up and slay his cackling opponent. But he didn't want to waste such a powerful attack on something so blatantly pitiful.

"You have given me enough trouble!" Hiei gritted out, drawing back slightly to leap overhead and plunge his katana into the demon's skull. Rather easy, but the monster gave another hideous cackle as it hunched down.

"I've…served my purpose. Lure them out, Hiei…lure them!" And just like that, he was dead.

The Jaganshi stared down at the puddle with narrowed crimson eyes, then sheathed his katana. He didn't like cryptic death remarks, for they always foreboded catastrophe. And he was right, for he had taken no more than three steps away from his fallen foe when a painful shudder racked his body and he fell heavily to his knees, using the sheathed sword to keep his face from meeting the pavement. His right arm throbbed, reminding him of the bite the creature had applied, and he glanced down at it. To his horror, a sickening shade of green laced his biceps, pulsating with a life of its own.

Hiei had time for a stream of muttered curses before he lost consciousness, slumping down on the sidewalk. Those who could have helped had been previously killed by SplorshGlurgleHee and would be of no assistance now. There was only one person who could help in this sort of situation…and she was currently staring at a baby and a redheaded woman in sheer disbelief.

* * *

"You want me to pick up one of the Reikai Tantei?" Kinsenka demanded, forgetting her place and lunging across the desk to grab Koenma by the collar as Shinkou leapt to safety. "Those guys that go down to Ningenkai and fight bad guys and help preserve justice like super heroes…you want ME to bring one back? Who's dead?"

"Well, he's not dead YET--" The toddler managed to wheeze out, trying to free himself from her vice-grip. Then he paused as a small chime dinged from the center of the room. "…I stand corrected. He is now officially dead and I need you to bring him back here."

Silence greeted him, and Kinsenka didn't budge. Nobara had to come over and forcefully pry her student's fingers off of her ruler's bruised neck.

"So why me?" The girl finally murmured. "Botan's a lot better at it than I am, and the other girls have all been ferrying for so much longer…"

Koenma settled back in his chair, his brown eyes hidden briefly before lowered lids. "Listen to me, Kinsenka, and listen well. That agent was not meant to die, and his death will throw many things off-balance. As he is a head general in Mukuro's army, Mukuro will probably not be pleased to hear of his early demise. He will be needed for several other reasons that I can't disclose to you as of now, but all you need to know is that we intend to bring him back to life and we need you to serve as his guide until he achieves life again."

"And to answer your question…" Nobara seemed uncharacteristically hesitant, her violet eyes fixed sternly on Kinsenka's. "You're connected to him more than you know. You and he forged a bond the night you became a ferrygirl and to send any of the other girls to retrieve his soul would be foolish. And you know how I cannot tolerate foolishness. This is fitting for your first assignment and I don't care how much you protest, you will go down there and get him. Do you have any futile arguments?"

Kinsenka lowered her head andsweptit from side to side, her twin braids flying. "No, Nobara-sama…" Privately, she was very curious as to how she and this dead detective were connected and she was just a tiny bit thrilled that her first mission was such an important one. "You can count on me, Koenma-sama! I'll go get him and do my best to help him live!" She wheeled around, ready to dash headlong out of the room and onto her broom, but Koenma's cough made her halt.

"I'm…err…pleased by your enthusiasm, but you may want to take the book with you. His information and whereabouts are in there, but don't look in there until you've reached Ningenkai, understood? You can get the book from Mokuren before you leave."

"Yes, sir!" Kinsenka attempted to salute and bow at the same time, which looked rather ridiculous, hugged her teacher around the waist before Nobara could sharply reprimand her, snatched Shinkou up and was out the door in a whirlwind of red and white.

"…Do you think it was wise, sending her?" Koenma asked, mostly to himself as he sighed and propped his head on his arms.

The woman eyed him impassively. "Perhaps, perhaps not. She's a special girl and it will prove…interesting to see how she handles this particular case. We're running out of time."

* * *

_Why am I doing this?_ Shinkou spat, digging his sharp claws into the handle of Kinsenka's broom. _What idiocy was this?_

"Yours, so don't blame me this time. You insisted on coming along to keep an eye on me, remember?" Kinsenka pursed her lips, doggedly trying to guide the broom on a straight course as they plunged off the Reikai tower.

_You're rubbing off on me,_ the feline grumbled._ That must be it._

She giggled. "Sure, Shinkou. Keep believing that." She had the small book safely tucked away within her blouse and now a small, devilish smirk crossed her lips. "Anyway, we're taking the less-scenic route!"

Shinkou blinked, not liking the sound of that--and liked it even less when his friend suddenly angled the broom into a straight dive.

_You're insane! All humans are insane, but you take insanity to the extreme level! I want off! I WANT OFF!_

"Oh, stop whining and hang on!"

**_Fifteen Scary Minutes Later---_**

"See, that wasn't so bad!" A beaming Kinsenka pulled sharply up on the handle and the broom screeched to a hovering stop before she kicked it into a slower and leveler descent. They skimmed over several rooftops, with the little redhead scanning the streets of the human world for anyone who looked remotely dead. To her surprise, she found what she'd LEAST expected.

_Why'd you tense?_ Shinkou looked up plaintively, wanting nothing more than to get down, but NOT in midair. _Did the dive just kick in or something?_

Kinsenka said nothing, her blue-green eyes focused instead on two men a good few feet below her. One was a young man in his mid-twenties with tousled black hair and calm gray eyes, pushing an older man along in a wheelchair.

"…It's been three years, huh?" The former said softly, glancing down at the man. "Three long years…I keep expecting them to appear…"

The handicapped man coughed, a jarring sound that seemed to rattle his very bones. "Yes. I sometimes think they're teasing me, and Kinsenka will run out, laughing with her mother and yell, 'Sorry, Papa!' Eri, too…"

The cat carefully balanced on the vibrating broom, eyes fixed on the girl's pale face. _Is that…?_

Without taking her eyes off the men, Kinsenka nodded. "Yeah…that's my dad. And Akio-niichan…he was engaged to marry my sister when I was only eight, but then she was also killed in a car accident. He's still like a brother, though."

_We'd better go,_ Shinkou urged, fidgeting uncomfortably. _It's not good for you to see them now…_

At that moment, Akio released the handles of the wheelchair and stretched, tilting back his head to admire the cloud-patched blue sky--that was, until his eyes widened and he pointed.

"K-_Kin-chan_?"

_Kinsenka!_

No further prompting was needed. Averting her gaze, the girl kicked the broom into motion and shot off, not wanting to look back.

"I-it was so long…" She whispered hoarsely, once they were safely out of sight.

_Forget family reunions, that guy SAW you! You're supposed to be invisible, remember? Did you forget to apply it?_

The fifteen-year-old shook her head. "No, I did! I know I did! See?" She darted past a window and flashed back to visibility, causing shrieks and pandemonium to occur inside the house at seeing the little redhead streak by on a broom.

_So you WERE invisible before,_ Shinkou mused, licking a paw._ So how did he see you?_

Kinsenka sighed. "I dunno, maybe he sees ghosts…let's just find this dead guy and get back."

But it wasn't that simple. For so distraught was she at seeing her father and her almost brother-in-law in such a sad state that dear Kinsenka had forgotten to reapply the invisibility. Oops. Not to mention that the broom responded to her emotional state--by going into a bucking frenzy.

Kuwabara Kazuma woke and looked drowsily out of his window in time to see a shrieking redhead and a black cat crash into a tree right nearby. And thus the wheels of fate began to turn…

**OOC---**

Yeah, I know this chapter was sort of boring, but I had to get the technical stuff out of the way. But the next chapter is my personal favorite, for Kuwabara and Kinsenka meet, achieve great misunderstandings, and it results in broom beatings, being locked in a closet, and for Kuwabara, having to explain to your sister exactly WHY there's a little girl trapped in your closet. All that and more, next chapter! Thanks so much for reviewing, everyone!


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